RNC participants by the numbers

Which party represents America's Main Street?

The Republican Party does not announce the demographic breakdown of its roughly 4,500 delegates and alternates. But a variety of sources – including the New York Times and public radio surveys -- show that the delegates fit a stereotype the party keeps trying to break away from.

About 1.5 percent of participants are African-American and 5 percent are Hispanic. In the party of Sarah Palin, male participants outnumber females 68 percent to 32 percent.

A week ago in Denver, the Democratic Party was boasting of its most diverse delegation ever. Of its 4,400 seated delegates, 44.3 percent represented minorities. African-Americans made up 24 percent of the total, Hispanics 11.8 percent, American Indians 2.5 percent and Asian-Pacific, 4.6 percent. There were slightly more women than men in the delegation. – Doug Grow 

House candidate Paulsen gets his three minutes of fame

Erik Paulsen, who is running for Congress in Minnesota's 3rd District, got to speak to the Republican Convention after all.  Paulsen initially had been scheduled to speak on Monday night, but his three minutes of near-fame were scratched when convention officials truncated the program because of Hurricane Gustav.

"I am one of a new generation of Republican reformers ready to transform our founding principles into sound public policy,'' Paulsen said.

He got cheers from the Minnesota delegation, but indifference from most in the arena who were waiting for the heavyweights on the program tonight.

Paulsen's non-prime-time moment still was much better than what his 3rd District Democratic opponent received in Denver. Ashwin Madia was introduced,  with a dozen other Democratic candidates,  to the delegates. He had only a chance to wave to an indifferent audience. -- Doug Grow

A flurry of emails is circulating among Ron Paul supporters wondering what happened to the Ron Paul votes during the GOP presidential role call last night. Five Paul votes announced from Alaska (Gov. Sarah Palin's home state) were greeted with boos from the convention floor. But some 18-25 Paul votes went unacknowledged, including six Paul votes from Minnesota.

There's confusion why the Minnesota Paul votes weren't announced. Minnesota has 41 votes, but as soon as Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced 35 votes for Sen. John McCain, the camera and audio feed were shut off, according to one email.

Some reports say that Pawlenty made no attempt to announce the Paul votes, but Steven Rogers, one of the Minnesota delegates who voted for Paul, said he "thought he saw" Pawlenty announce the Paul votes. Rogers confirmed that the Paul votes were not announced from the podium.

"I had talked with [state GOP] Chairman [Ron] Carey earlier in the day and he assured me that Paul votes would be announced," Rogers told me. "So they may have cut the mic from the podium."

Terry McCall, another Paul voter, told me the state party was upset about some of the media comments made by Paul supporters, and that some Paul supporters feared the party might "go over the top and try to unseat us all." McCall told the Chicago ABC affiliate that, given the opportunity, he would vote for Ron Paul.

McCall remains puzzled by the GOP's disrespect for Paul delegates. Ron Paul's following includes a number of young voters, a demographic the GOP finds difficult to attract.

"Our message to the party was we would tell our folks to vote their conscience," said McCall. "We were not out to ruin Senator McCain's show. We suggested to the delegates we caught up to that they may wish to just pass or remain silent on a vote for acclamation. But it was up to them".

We need to focus on what we accomplished this week, added McCall, citing a conversation with another delegate who said that the Paul folks influenced the choice of Palin as the vice president nominee. McCall also said conservatives are becoming more interested in the Paul movement. 

 "Liberty wins in the end," he said. — Craig Westover

A giant, specially equipped bus is making a stop at today's peace picnic on Harriet Island — timed to coincide with the final day of the Republican National Convention across the river in downtown St. Paul.

The bus is billed as a "museum on wheels" that attempts to document what it calls "how eight years of failed Bush-McCain-conservative policies have harmed our national security, ruined the economy and sacrificed so many important priorities here at home."

Organizers call it the National Bush Legacy Bus tour, and it's been to 25 states so far. It'll be at Harriet Island today from noon to 6 p.m. Police said the peace picnic is one of several permitted protests scheduled today in St. Paul.

The bus, which made a stop in St. Paul in July, too, is 45 feet long, weights 28 tons and is powered by bio-diesel fuel. — Joe Kimball